Source/drain contacts for non-planar transistors

ABSTRACT

The present description relates to the field of fabricating microelectronic devices having non-planar transistors. Embodiments of the present description relate to the formation of source/drain contacts within non-planar transistors, wherein a titanium-containing contact interface may be used in the formation of the source/drain contact with a discreet titanium silicide formed between the titanium-containing interface and a silicon-containing source/drain structure.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/992,550, filed Oct. 1, 2011, which in turn claims priority toInternational (PCT) Patent Application serial number PCT/US2011/054479,filed Oct. 1, 2011.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments of the present description generally relate to the field ofmicroelectronic device fabrication and, more particularly, to thefabrication of source/drain contacts within non-planar transistors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter of the present disclosure is particularly pointed outand distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification.The foregoing and other features of the present disclosure will becomemore fully apparent from the following description and appended claims,taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is understoodthat the accompanying drawings depict only several embodiments inaccordance with the present disclosure and are, therefore, not to beconsidered limiting of its scope. The disclosure will be described withadditional specificity and detail through use of the accompanyingdrawings, such that the advantages of the present disclosure can be morereadily ascertained, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a non-planar transistor, according to anembodiment of the present description.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a non-planartransistor fin formed in or on a microelectronic substrate.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a sacrificial materialdeposited over the non-planar transistor fin of FIG. 2, according to anembodiment of the present description.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a trench formed in thesacrificial material deposited to expose a portion of the non-planartransistor fin of FIG. 3, according to an embodiment of the presentdescription.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a sacrificial gateformed in the trench of FIG. 4, according to an embodiment of thepresent description.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the sacrificial gateafter the removal of the sacrificial material of FIG. 5, according to anembodiment of the present description.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a conformal dielectriclayer deposited over the sacrificial gate and microelectronic substrateof FIG. 6, according to an embodiment of the present description.

FIG. 8 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of gate spacers formedfrom the conformal dielectric layer of FIG. 7, according to anembodiment of the present description.

FIG. 9 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a source region and adrain region formed in the non-planar transistor fin on either side ofthe gate spacers of FIG. 8, according to an embodiment of the presentdescription.

FIG. 10 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a first dielectricmaterial deposited over the gate spacers, the sacrificial gate, thenon-planar transistor fin, and the microelectronic substrate of FIG. 9,according to an embodiment of the present description.

FIG. 11 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG.10 after planarizing the first dielectric material to expose a topsurface of the sacrificial gate, according to an embodiment of thepresent description.

FIG. 12 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG.11 after the removal of the sacrificial gate to form a gate trench,according to an embodiment of the present description.

FIG. 13 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG.12 after the formation of a gate dielectric adjacent the non-planartransistor fin between the gate spacers, according to an embodiment ofthe present description.

FIG. 14 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a conductive gatematerial deposited in the gate trench of FIG. 13, according to anembodiment of the present description.

FIG. 15 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG.14 after the removal of excess conductive gate material to form anon-planar transistor gate, according to an embodiment of the presentdescription.

FIG. 16 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG.15 after etching away a portion of the non-planar transistor gate toform a recessed non-planar transistor gate, according to an embodimentof the present description.

FIG. 17 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG.16 after depositing a capping dielectric material into the recessresulting from the formation of the recessed non-planar transistor gate,according to an embodiment of the present description.

FIG. 18 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG.17 after the removal of excess capping dielectric material to form acapping structure on the non-planar transistor gate, according to anembodiment of the present description.

FIG. 19 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a second dielectricmaterial deposited over the first dielectric material layer, the gatespacers, and the sacrificial gate top surface of FIG. 18, according toan embodiment of the present description.

FIG. 20 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of an etch maskpatterned on the second dielectric material of FIG. 19, according to anembodiment of the present description.

FIG. 21 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a contact openingformed through the first and second dielectric material layer of FIG.20, according to an embodiment of the present description.

FIG. 22 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG.21 after the removal of the etch mask, according to an embodiment of thepresent description.

FIG. 23 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a titanium-containingcontact interface layer formed in the contact opening of FIG. 22,according to an embodiment of the present description.

FIG. 24 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a titanium silicideinterface discretely formed between the titanium-containing contactinterface layer and the source/drain region which has been formed in thenon-planar transistor fin, according to an embodiment of the presentdescription.

FIG. 25 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a conductive contactmaterial deposited in the contact opening of FIG. 24, according to anembodiment of the present description.

FIG. 26 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG.25 after the removal of the excess conductive contact material to form asource/drain contact, according to an embodiment of the presentdescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specificembodiments in which the claimed subject matter may be practiced. Theseembodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilledin the art to practice the subject matter. It is to be understood thatthe various embodiments, although different, are not necessarilymutually exclusive. For example, a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described herein, in connection with one embodiment, maybe implemented within other embodiments without departing from thespirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. References within thisspecification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” mean that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the embodiment is included in at least one implementationencompassed within the present invention. Therefore, the use of thephrase “one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” does not necessarily referto the same embodiment. In addition, it is to be understood that thelocation or arrangement of individual elements within each disclosedembodiment may be modified without departing from the spirit and scopeof the claimed subject matter. The following detailed description is,therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of thesubject matter is defined only by the appended claims, appropriatelyinterpreted, along with the full range of equivalents to which theappended claims are entitled. In the drawings, like numerals refer tothe same or similar elements or functionality throughout the severalviews, and that elements depicted therein are not necessarily to scalewith one another, rather individual elements may be enlarged or reducedin order to more easily comprehend the elements in the context of thepresent description.

In the fabrication of non-planar transistors, such as tri-gatetransistors and FinFETs, non-planar semiconductor bodies may be used toform transistors capable of full depletion with very small gate lengths(e.g., less than about 30 nm). These semiconductor bodies are generallyfin-shaped and are, thus, generally referred to as transistor “fins”.For example in a tri-gate transistor, the transistor fins have a topsurface and two opposing sidewalls formed on a bulk semiconductorsubstrate or a silicon-on-insulator substrate. A gate dielectric may beformed on the top surface and sidewalls of the semiconductor body and agate electrode may be formed over the gate dielectric on the top surfaceof the semiconductor body and adjacent to the gate dielectric on thesidewalls of the semiconductor body. Thus, since the gate dielectric andthe gate electrode are adjacent to three surfaces of the semiconductorbody, three separate channels and gates are formed. As there are threeseparate channels formed, the semiconductor body can be fully depletedwhen the transistor is turned on. With regard to finFET transistors, thegate material and the electrode only contact the sidewalls of thesemiconductor body, such that two separate channels are formed (ratherthan three in tri-gate transistors).

Embodiments of the present description relate to the formation ofsource/drain contacts within non-planar transistors, wherein atitanium-containing contact interface may be used in the formation ofthe source/drain contact with a discreet titanium silicide formedbetween the titanium-containing interface and a silicon-containingsource/drain structure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a non-planar transistor 100, includingat least one gate formed on at least one transistor fin, which areformed on a microelectronic substrate 102. In an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the microelectronic substrate 102 may be amonocrystalline silicon substrate. The microelectronic substrate 102 mayalso be other types of substrates, such as silicon-on-insulator (“SOI”),germanium, gallium arsenide, indium antimonide, lead telluride, indiumarsenide, indium phosphide, gallium arsenide, gallium antimonide, andthe like, any of which may be combined with silicon.

The non-planar transistor, shown as a tri-gate transistor, may includeat least one non-planar transistor fin 112. The non-planar transistorfin 112 may have a top surface 114 and a pair of laterally oppositesidewalls, sidewall 116 and opposing sidewall 118, respectively.

As further shown in FIG. 1, at least one non-planar transistor gate 122may be formed over the non-planar transistor fin 112. The non-planartransistor gate 122 may be fabricated by forming a gate dielectric layer124 on or adjacent to the non-planar transistor fin top surface 114 andon or adjacent to the non-planar transistor fin sidewall 116 and theopposing non-planar transistor fin sidewall 118. A gate electrode 126may be formed on or adjacent the gate dielectric layer 124. In oneembodiment of the present disclosure, the non-planar transistor fin 112may run in a direction substantially perpendicular to the non-planartransistor gate 122.

The gate dielectric layer 124 may be formed from any well-known gatedielectric material, including but not limited to silicon dioxide(SiO₂), silicon oxynitride (SiO_(x)N_(y)), silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), andhigh-k dielectric materials such as hafnium oxide, hafnium siliconoxide, lanthanum oxide, lanthanum aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide,zirconium silicon oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, bariumstrontium titanium oxide, barium titanium oxide, strontium titaniumoxide, yttrium oxide, aluminum oxide, lead scandium tantalum oxide, andlead zinc niobate. The gate dielectric layer 124 can be formed bywell-known techniques, such as by conformally depositing a gatedielectric material and then patterning the gate dielectric materialwith well-known photolithography and etching techniques, as will beunderstood to those skilled in the art.

The gate electrode 126 can be formed of any suitable gate electrodematerial. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the gate electrode126 may be formed from materials that include, but are not limited to,polysilicon, tungsten, ruthenium, palladium, platinum, cobalt, nickel,hafnium, zirconium, titanium, tantalum, aluminum, titanium carbide,zirconium carbide, tantalum carbide, hafnium carbide, aluminum carbide,other metal carbides, metal nitrides, and metal oxides. The gateelectrode 126 can be formed by well-known techniques, such as by blanketdepositing a gate electrode material and then patterning the gateelectrode material with well-known photolithography and etchingtechniques, as will be understood to those skilled in the art.

A source region and a drain region (not shown in FIG. 1) may be formedin the non-planar transistor fin 112 on opposite sides of the gateelectrode 126. In one embodiment, the source and drain regions may beformed by doping the non-planar transistor fins 112, as will beunderstood to those skilled in the art. In another embodiment, thesource and drain regions may be formed by removing portions of thenon-planar transistor fins 112 and replacing these portions withappropriate material(s) to form the source and drain regions, as will beunderstood to those skilled in the art.

FIGS. 2-26 illustrate side cross-sectional view of one embodiment offabricating a non-planar transistor, wherein FIGS. 2-5 are views alongarrows A-A and B-B of FIG. 1, FIGS. 6-15 are views along arrows A-A ofFIG. 1, and FIG. 16-26 are views along arrows C-C of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the non-planar transistor fin 112 may be formed byetching the microelectronic substrate 102 or by forming the non-planartransistor fin 112 on the microelectronic substrate 102 by any techniqueknown in the art. As illustrate in FIG. 3, a sacrificial material 132may be deposited over the non-planar transistor fin 112, as shown inFIG. 3, and a trench 134 may be formed in the sacrificial material 132to expose a potion of the non-planar transistor fin 112, as shown inFIG. 4. The sacrificial material 132 may be any appropriate materialknown in the art, and the trench 134 may be formed by any techniqueknown in the art, including but not limited to lithographic masking andetching.

As shown in FIG. 5, a sacrificial gate 136 may be formed in the trench134 (see FIG. 4). The sacrificial gate 136 may be any appropriatematerial, such as a polysilicon material and the like, and may bedeposited in the trench 134 (see FIG. 4) by any technique known in theart, including but not limited to chemical vapor deposition (“CVD”) andphysical vapor deposition (“PVD”).

As shown in FIG. 6, the sacrificial material 132 of FIG. 5 may beremoved to expose the sacrificial gate 136 by any technique known in theart, such as selectively etching the sacrificial material 132. As shownin FIG. 7, a conformal dielectric layer 142 may be deposited over thesacrificial gate 136 and microelectronic substrate 102. The conformaldielectric layer 142 may be any appropriate material, including but notlimited to silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) and silicon carbide (SiC), and may beformed by any appropriate technique including but not limited to atomiclayer deposition (“ALD”).

As shown in FIG. 8, the conformal dielectric layer 142 of FIG. 7 may beetched, such as by directional etch with an appropriate etchant, to formgate spacers 144 on sidewalls 146 of the sacrificial gate 136, whilesubstantially removing the conformal dielectric material layer 142adjacent the microelectronic substrate 102 and a top surface 148 of thesacrificial gate 136. It is understood that fin spacers (not shown) maybe simultaneously formed on sidewalls 116 and 118 (see FIG. 1) of thenon-planar transistor fin 112 during the formation of the gate spacers144.

As shown in FIG. 9, a silicon-containing source region 150 a and asilicon-containing drain region 150 b may be formed on either side ofthe gate spacers 144. In one embodiment, the silicon-containing sourceregion 150 a and the silicon-containing drain region 150 b may be formedin the non-planar transistor fin 112 with the implantation of dopants.As will be understood to those skilled in that art, dopant implantationis a process of introducing impurities into semiconducting materials forthe purpose changing its conductivity and electronic properties. This isgenerally achieved by ion implantation of either P-type ions (e.g.boron) or N-type ions (e.g. phosphorus), collectively referred to as“dopants”. In another embodiment, portions of the non-planar transistorfin 112 may be removed by any technique known in the art, such asetching, and the silicon-containing source region 150 a and asilicon-containing drain region 150 b may be formed in place of theremoved portions. The silicon-containing source region 150 a and thesilicon-containing drain region will hereinafter be referred tocollectively as “silicon-containing source/drain region 150”.

As shown in FIG. 10, a first dielectric material layer 152 may bedeposited over the gate spacers 144, the sacrificial gate top surface148, the non-planar transistor fin 112, and the microelectronicsubstrate 102. The first dielectric material layer 152 may beplanarizing to expose the sacrificial gate top surface 148, as shown inFIG. 11. The planarization of the first dielectric material layer 152may be achieved by any technique known in the art, including but notlimited to chemical mechanical polishing (CMP).

As shown in FIG. 12, the sacrificial gate 136 of FIG. 11 may be removedto form a gate trench 154. The sacrificial gate 136 may be removed byany technique known in the art, such as a selective etch. As shown inFIG. 13, the gate dielectric layer 124, as also illustrated in FIG. 1,may be formed to abut the non-planar transistor fin 112, as previouslydiscussed.

As shown in FIG. 14, a conductive gate material 156 may be deposited inthe gate trench 154, and excess conductive gate material 156 (e.g.conductive gate material 156 not within the gate trench 154 of FIG. 12)may be removed to from the non-planar transistor gate electrode 126 (seealso FIG. 1), as shown in FIG. 15. The materials and methods of formingthe gate electrode 126 have been previously discussed. The removal ofthe excess conductive gate material 156 may be achieved by any techniqueknown in the art, including but not limited to chemical mechanicalpolishing (CMP), etching, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 16, a portion of the non-planar transistor gateelectrode 126 may be removed to form a recess 158 and a recessednon-planar transistor gate 162. The removal may be accomplished by anyknown technique, including but not limited to wet or dry etching. Asshown in FIG. 17, a capping dielectric material 164 may be deposited tofill the recess 158 of FIG. 16. The capping dielectric material 164 maybe any appropriate material, including but not limited to siliconnitride (Si₃N₄) and silicon carbide (SiC), and may be formed by anyappropriate deposition technique. The capping dielectric material 164may be planarized to remove excess capping dielectric material 164 (e.g.capping dielectric material 164 not within the recess of FIG. 16) tofrom a capping structure 166 on the recessed non-planar transistor gate162 and between a gate spacers 144, as shown in FIG. 18. The removal ofthe excess capping dielectric material 164 may be achieved by anytechnique known in the art, including but not limited to chemicalmechanical polishing (CMP), etching, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 19, a second dielectric material layer 168 may bedeposited over the first dielectric material layer 152, the gate spacers144, and the capping structure 166. The second dielectric material layer168 may be formed from any appropriate dielectric material, includingbut not limited to silicon dioxide (SiO₂), silicon oxynitride(SiO_(x)N_(y)), and silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), by any known depositiontechnique. As shown in FIG. 20, an etch mask 172 may be patterned withat least one opening 174 on the second dielectric material layer 168,such as by well known lithographic techniques.

As shown in FIG. 21, a contact opening 182 may be formed through thefirst dielectric material layer 152 and the second dielectric materiallayer 168 by etching through the etch mask opening 174 of FIG. 20 toexpose a portion of the source/drain region 150. The etch mask 172 ofFIG. 21 may be removed thereafter, as shown in FIG. 22. In oneembodiment, the first dielectric material layer 152 and the dielectricmaterial layer 168 differs from dielectric material of both the gatespacers 144 and the capping structure 166, such that the etching of thefirst dielectric material layer 152 and the second dielectric layer 168may be selective to the gate spacers 144 and the capping structure 166(i.e. etches faster). This is known in the art as a self-aligning.

As shown in FIG. 23, a titanium-containing contact interface layer 184may be conformally deposited in the contact opening 182 to abut theexposed portion of the source/drain region 150, wherein thetitanium-containing contact interface layer 184 acts as the primarywork-function metal, as will be understood to those skilled in the art.In one embodiment, the titanium-containing contact interface layer 184comprises substantially pure titanium. The titanium-containing contactinterface layer 184 may be formed by atomic layer deposition.

As shown in FIG. 24, a titanium silicide interface 186 may be discretelyformed between the silicon-containing source/drain region 150 and thetitanium-containing contact interface layer 184, such as by heating thestructure of FIG. 23. The term “discretely” is defined to mean thattitanium silicide is formed substantially only between thetitanium-containing contact interface layer 184 and thesilicon-containing source/drain region 150. The formation of thetitanium silicide interface 186 may result in a low resistive contact,as will be understood to those skilled in the art.

As shown in FIG. 25, a conductive contact material 188 may be depositedin the contact opening 182 of FIG. 24 to reside approximate thetitanium-containing contact interface layer 184. In one embodiment, theconductive contact material 188 may be a tungsten-containing conductivematerial. In another embodiment, the conductive contact material 188 maybe substantially pure tungsten.

As shown in FIG. 26, excess conductive contact material 188 of FIG. 25(e.g. conductive contact material 188 not within the contact opening 182of FIG. 12) to form a source/drain contact 190. The removal of theexcess conductive contact material 188 may be achieved by any techniqueknown in the art, including but not limited to chemical mechanicalpolishing (CMP), etching, and the like.

As previously discussed, in one embodiment, the first dielectricmaterial layer 152 and the dielectric material layer 168 differs fromdielectric material of both the gate spacers 144 and the cappingstructure 166, such that the etching of the first dielectric materiallayer 152 and the second dielectric layer 168 may be selective to thegate spacers 144 and the capping structure 166 (i.e. etches faster).Thus, the recessed non-planar transistor 162 is protected during theformation of the contact opening 182. This allows for the formation of arelatively large sized source/drain contact 190, which may increase thetransistor drive current performance, without the risk of shortingbetween the source/drain contact 190 and the recessed non-planartransistor gate 162.

The use of the titanium-containing contact interface layer 184 mayeliminate the conventional use of fully silicided nickel-containingcontact interface layers, such nickel silicide and platinum nickelsilicide. Nickel is a highly mobile element which tends to rapidlydiffuse outside of an intended contact area. Such diffusion may resultin source/drain shorts, as will be understood to those skilled in theart. Further, the use of the titanium-containing contact interface layer184 may eliminate the need for a silicide pre-clean step, which mayreduce the chance of having shorting between source/drain contact 190and the recessed non-planar transistor gate 162, as previouslydiscussed, as such a pre-clean step may remove material from the cappingstructure 166 and/or the gate spacers 144.

It is understood that the subject matter of the present description isnot necessarily limited to specific applications illustrated in FIGS.1-26. The subject matter may be applied to other microelectronic devicefabrication applications, as will be understood to those skilled in theart.

Having thus described in detail embodiments of the present invention, itis understood that the invention defined by the appended claims is notto be limited by particular details set forth in the above description,as many apparent variations thereof are possible without departing fromthe spirit or scope thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A microelectronic device, comprising: asilicon-containing non-planar transistor fin; a source/drain region inthe silicon-containing non-planar fin; a source/drain contact adjacentthe source/drain region, wherein the source/drain contact comprises aconductive contact material and a titanium-containing contact interfacelayer disposed between conductive contact material and the source/drainregion; a titanium silicide interface disposed between the source/drainregion and the titanium-containing contact interface layer; and anon-planar transistor gate over the non-planar transistor fin, whereinthe non-planar transistor gate comprises a gate electrode recessedbetween gate spacers and a capping structure disposed on the recessedgate electrode between the gate spacers, and wherein thetitanium-containing contact interface layer abuts at least a portion ofone non-planar transistor gate spacer and/or abuts at least a portion ofthe capping structure.
 2. The microelectronic device of claim 1, whereinthe conductive contact material comprises tungsten.
 3. Themicroelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the titanium silicideinterface resides substantially only between the source/drain region andthe titanium-containing contact interface layer.
 4. A method offabricating a microelectronic device, comprising: forming asilicon-containing non-planar transistor fin; forming a source/drainregion in the silicon-containing non-planar fin; forming a dielectricmaterial over the source/drain region; forming a contact opening throughthe dielectric material to expose a portion of the source/drain region;conformally depositing a titanium-containing contact interface layerwithin the contact opening to abut the source/drain region; depositing aconductive contact material within the contact opening to abut thetitanium-containing contact interface layer; and forming a titaniumsilicide interface between the source/drain region and thetitanium-containing contact interface layer.
 5. The method of claim 4,wherein conformally depositing the titanium-containing contact interfacelayer comprises depositing a substantially pure titanium contactinterface layer.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein depositing aconductive contact material within the contact opening comprisesdepositing tungsten within the contact opening.
 7. The method of claim4, wherein forming the titanium silicide interface between thesource/drain region and the titanium-containing contact interface layercomprises forming the titanium silicide interface between thesource/drain region and the titanium-containing contact interface layerby heating the source/drain region and the titanium-containing contactinterface layer.
 8. The method of claim 4, wherein forming the titaniumsilicide interface comprises forming the titanium silicide substantiallyonly between the source/drain region and the titanium-containing contactinterface layer.
 9. The method of claim 4, wherein forming thenon-planar transistor gate comprises forming gate spacers, forming agate electrode recessed between the gate spacers and disposing a cappingstructure on the recessed gate electrode between the gate spacers. 10.The method of claim 9, wherein forming a contact opening through thedielectric material to expose at least a portion of the source/drainregion further comprises forming a contact opening through thedielectric material to expose a portion of the source/drain region andat least a portion of one non-planar transistor gate spacer.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein forming the titanium-containing contactinterface layer further comprises forming the titanium-containingcontact interface layer to abut at least a portion of one non-planartransistor gate spacer.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein forming acontact opening through the dielectric material to expose at least aportion of the source/drain region further comprises forming a contactopening through the dielectric material to expose a portion of thesource/drain region and at least a portion of the capping structure. 13.The method of claim 12, wherein the forming the titanium-containingcontact interface layer further comprises forming thetitanium-containing contact interface layer to abut at least a portionof the capping structure.
 14. A microelectronic device, comprising: asilicon-containing non-planar transistor fin; a source/drain region inthe silicon-containing non-planar fin; a source/drain contact adjacentthe source/drain region, wherein the source/drain contact comprises aconductive contact material and a titanium-containing contact interfacelayer disposed between conductive contact material and the source/drainregion, wherein the titanium-containing contact interface layercomprises substantially pure titanium; a titanium silicide interfacedisposed between the source/drain region and the titanium- containingcontact interface layer; and a non-planar transistor gate over thenon-planar transistor fin, wherein the non-planar transistor gatecomprises a gate electrode recessed between gate spacers and a cappingstructure disposed on the recessed gate electrode between the gatespacers, and wherein the titanium-containing contact interface layerabuts at least a portion of one non-planar transistor gate spacer and/orabuts at least a portion of the capping structure.
 15. Themicroelectronic device of claim 14, wherein the conductive contactmaterial comprises tungsten.
 16. The microelectronic device of claim 14,wherein the titanium silicide interface resides substantially onlybetween the source/drain region and the titanium-containing contactinterface layer.